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New Guinness brewery in West Loop gearing up for opening

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:35:07 GMT

CHICAGO — Fans of Guinness won't have to wait much longer for the opening of their second American brewery next week in Chicago's West Loop.After the announcement in March and a subsequent delay, the 15,000 square foot Guinness Open Gate Brewery, located at 901 W. Kinzie, is set to open up Thursday, Sept. 28.The project transformed a longtime vacant rail depot, which gained a second life for street art, into a new restaurant and taproom for the famous Dublin brewery. Photo by Kendall McCaughertyIt all starts with the beer, which will include five new beers brewed right at the Chicago brewery."The beer program is where everything begins for us," ambassador Ryan Wagner said. "For some people, Guinness isn't a brewery — it's a beer. Open Gate Brewery flips that on its head."While the famous Guinness Draught Stout will still be brewed and shipped over from Dublin, new beers like Corn Maize Cream Ale take shape from Illinois. The corn used in the cream ale was grown in Iroquois County.Be...

Durbin, No. 2 Senate Democrat, disagrees with change to dress code: 'We need to have standards'

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:35:07 GMT

Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.) says he is “concerned” about a decision to loosen the Senate’s dress code to allow senators to wear whatever they want on the chamber floor, arguing “we need to have standards.”  Durbin, the No. 2-ranking Senate Democrat and chairman of the powerful Judiciary Committee, signaled he’s not ready to let hoodies, blue jeans or shorts become the norm on the Senate floor, which has been the venue of many important historic moments over the years. “Well, I’m concerned about it,” Durbin told “The Briefing with Steve Scully” on SiriusXM’s POTUS channel, when asked about the recent change in the rules of decorum.  Durbin acknowledged that changing the Senate’s dress code would accommodate his colleague, first-term Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who’s well-known for wearing a hoodie and shorts instead of a business suit like most senators, but suggested the issue is bigger than one senator.  “The senator in question from Pennsylvania ...

48,000 mattresses sold at Costco recalled over mold risk

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:35:07 GMT

(WHTM) -- A Pennsylvania-based manufacturer is recalling 48,000 mattresses that were sold at Costco due to the risk of mold exposure, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.FXI Inc. is recalling the Novaform ComfortGrande 14-inch and Novaform DreamAway 8-inch mattresses. The company has received 541 reports of mold on the mattresses so far. No injuries were reported. Kraft Heinz is recalling some American cheese slices over choking hazard The ComfortGrande mattress has a blue base with “Novaform” written in white letters. The DreamAway has a gray base with “Novaform” written in white letters.(CPSC)(CPSC)Included in the recall are only mattresses with the model/item numbers in the charts below and manufactured at FXI’s San Bernardino, California, facility between Jan. 2, 2023, and April 28, 2023. The mattress' item number can be found on the mattress box and on the tag attached to the mattress, which is where the manufacturing location can also be found.ComfortGrande...

Raul Meza Case: Detailing Meza's early criminal history

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:35:07 GMT

KXAN crime reporter Brianna Hollis and digital reporter Sam Stark dive into the investigations into Raul Meza Jr. on “KXAN Live: The Meza Case” to give you a look behind the curtain at the team’s coverage. You can watch the streams live on Thursday mornings at 10:30 a.m.AUSTIN (KXAN) – Raul Meza, 62, is a convicted murderer who now faces charges in the 2019 death of his neighbor and the May 2023 death of an 80-year-old man. The Austin Police Department arrested him in May after he called and confessed to the murder of Jesse Fraga, 80, of Pflugerville, and implicated himself in the death of Gloria Lofton, 65, of east Austin. TIMELINE: What we know of Raul Meza’s criminal history Meza's criminal history dates back to his juvenile years and includes a murder conviction in the death of 8-year-old Kendra Page, who he killed while on parole for an aggravated robbery sentence. Brianna and Sam address the following topics in this week's episode:Raul Meza's early criminal history.Latest o...

Matthew McConaughey again floats possibility of running for political office

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:35:07 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — After ruling out a run for governor, speculation is ramping up again that Texas voters may see Matthew McConaughey's name appear on their ballots sometime in the future. The Oscar-winning actor appeared earlier this week on an episode of the "SmartLess" podcast with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett to promote his new picture book called "Just Because." Their discussion, though, turned to politics after McConaughey talked about his Greenlights Grant Initiative, which is a national program he launched connecting school districts to available federal school safety funding. Matthew McConaughey takes photos, signs new book ‘Just Because’ for hundreds in Austin Hayes asked, almost as an aside, whether McConaughey would ever revisit running for a political office in Texas — or even president of the United States. "It's not something I want to visit now because of what I said earlier," McConaughey responded. "I'm raising three children right now. It's a great ad...

Kyle City Council approves $272.5M budget, investments in infrastructure

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:35:07 GMT

KYLE, Texas (KXAN) -- The Kyle City Council unanimously approved the city's budget for Fiscal Year 2023-24, according to a city news release. The $272.5 million budget focuses on investments in infrastructure and services. The release said it was based on goals identified by both city council and staff during work sessions. "Priorities include increased street maintenance and rehabilitation, strategic planning, economic development, small business retention, increasing community engagement and enhancing public safety," the city said. RELATED COVERAGE: Tesla, dozens of restaurants and businesses coming to Kyle Long-term investments include: $31.1 million for downtown revitalization and $75,000 for a Downtown Façade Grant for businesses$21.4 million in water system improvements$1 million for increased street maintenance$5.7 million for parks improvements$4 million to create an Infrastructure Plan for development of retail centers and grocery stores on the E...

Noah Kahan to perform at Austin's Moody Center in 2024

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:35:07 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Singer-songwriter Noah Kahan will perform at the Moody Center in Austin next year as part of his "We'll All Be Here Forever" tour.He's slated to perform at the downtown Austin venue on June 14, 2024, the Moody Center announced in a tweet Wednesday. Advanced ticket registration is available online now through Sept. 24 at 11:59 p.m.Advanced ticket sales will begin Sept. 28 and run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., per the Moody Center.Kahan will be more than familiar with Austin come June 2024, as he's slated to tape an Austin City Limits Live performance on Sept. 25 and perform both weekends of the 2023 Austin City Limits Music Festival in October.Kahan's 2022 album "Stick Season" released to critical acclaim. He released the album's deluxe version, "Stick Season (We'll All Be Here Forever)" in May before collaborating with Post Malone on a special version of his single "Dial Drunk" in July.

After 17-year-old injured in St. Paul shooting, high school in area cancels after-school activities

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:35:07 GMT

A person shot and wounded a 17-year-old in St. Paul’s North End Wednesday afternoon, leading to a high school less than a mile away canceling after-school activities.The teen was taken to Regions Hospital for treatment and his injuries appeared non-life threatening as of Thursday morning, said Sgt. Mike Ernster, a police spokesman.The shooting happened in the parking lot of 444 W. Maryland Ave., which houses the Maryland Supermarket. Other violence in the area has included the March 2022 fatal shooting of Dion Ford Jr., a 2019 Central High School graduate and basketball star, during a robbery, and the 2019 murder of Marquez Perry-Banks, 21.Officers were called to Wednesday’s shooting about 3:30 p.m. The injured teen had gone to a nearby residence on Arundel Street for help. He’d been shot in the torso, leg and arm, Ernster said.No one was under arrest as of Thursday morning.The school day ends at Como Park Senior High School at 3 p.m. The school, which is seventh-t...

Minnesota Supreme Court to hear arguments on Trump ballot eligibility on Nov. 2

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:35:07 GMT

The Minnesota Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments for Nov. 2 on a petition that seeks to bar former President Donald Trump from appearing on Minnesota ballots next year.Eight Minnesota voters, including former Secretary of State Joan Growe and former Supreme Court Justice Paul Anderson, filed suit earlier this month contending that the 14th Amendment to the Constitution prohibits Trump from holding federal office because he took part in an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.The amendment was adopted after the Civil War to prevent former confederates from returning to federal office, but a recent paper by two legal scholars has prompted interest in applying it to Trump. A similar suit was filed this year in Colorado.14th Amendment, Section 3Here’s what the section of the 14th Amendment says:“No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, h...

Gloversville man accused of assault, child endangerment

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:35:07 GMT

GLOVERSVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A Gloversville man was arrested following an early morning dispute on Oakland Avenue in Gloversville Thursday. Samuel McDonald Jr., 27, faces several charges. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Gloversville Police responded to 14 Oakland Avenue around 1:37 a.m. after a female caller said she was involved in a physical incident with a man inside an apartment. Police say the caller said the man was intoxicated and caused property damage while she tried to leave with her 5-month-old child. Police said that while she was trying to leave, McDonald Jr. grabbed the baby out of her arms.She was eventually able to leave the apartment without her child and ran to a friend's house where she contacted the police. The woman was concerned for the safety of the baby and worried it might have been hurt when the man allegedly grabbed the 5-month-old. Police arrived and said McDonald Jr. did not answer the door and re...